


Peace, Closure, and Rest

by crmsndragonwngs



Series: Nothing To Gain, Nothing To Lose [5]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: A tiny bit of VegeBul, Character Study, Drabble, Established Relationship, M/M, but it’s not the focus, idk how else to tag this lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28233585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crmsndragonwngs/pseuds/crmsndragonwngs
Summary: Saiyan behavior, social tendencies, and a study of a certain prince and one of his former attendants.
Relationships: Raditz/Yamcha (Dragon Ball)
Series: Nothing To Gain, Nothing To Lose [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891060
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	Peace, Closure, and Rest

**Author's Note:**

> “Breathe in deep  
> Stop holding your breath  
> We need peace, closure and rest”

Even though Vegeta is, in reality, quite small and compact, Bulma has always seen him as titanic, larger than life. Goku too, and even Gohan to some extent, though they’re both taller and broader than the Saiyan prince anyway. It was easy to believe, then, that all Saiyans were of similar or lesser height as their human counterparts. Gohan and Yamcha are the same height and roughly the same build, Goku only a hair shorter, Vegeta shorter still, and it seemed that humans were simply taller on average. Gohan was only half Saiyan, of course, and the grandson of the colossal Ox King (who was human as far as she knew), which only lent credence to Bulma’s theory. Even her own son, the future version who had only been a teenager when she last saw him, had been a head taller than his father, taking his height from her own father (or so she’d believed, at any rate). 

But then Yamcha comes to visit with Raditz in tow, and Bulma is reminded of how  _ big _ Saiyans could really be. 

Raditz is really only a head taller than her (quite tall) ex-boyfriend, but he is broad and powerfully built with big, unapologetic, unfettered energy radiating off of him. He had seemed so monstrous at Kame House all those years ago, clad in strange looking armor, oozing power that one hadn’t needed special abilities to sense, and towering over his own brother, who until that moment had been the strongest person Bulma had ever met by far. 

The illusion is not broken now, standing behind Yamcha with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, his black tank top stretched taut over his deep chest. His long hair falls past his knees and his tail hangs even lower, as thick as her own forearm, curling in on itself just above the ground to keep from dragging. Scars litter the skin of his arms and shoulders, some faint from age, others deep and gnarled and unable to fade despite their age just for the sheer size of them. The scar from Piccolo’s kill shot, big and ugly and still sore (or so Yamcha had said), peeks out over the collar of his shirt, spiderwebs scattering over the parts of his chest that she can see and his bare shoulders. She assumes there’s one identical, or at least similar, on his back that she can’t see for all the hair, but she’s not particularly interested in going down that rabbit hole by asking Yamcha for specifics. It was bad enough that he could tell her other things about the big Saiyan’s body, like the trail of hair that apparently starts at his navel and plunges past the waistband of his pants, or the scar in the vague shape of a wolf low on Raditz’s left hip, which had delighted Yamcha completely. 

Of course, Yamcha is a grown man, and beyond that Bulma’s friend, so he is obviously free to make his own choices and sleep with whomever he wishes, but Raditz still gives Bulma the creeps, even if he is much nicer since Yamcha had wished him back to life.

Regardless, Bulma suspects the illusion of size remains unbroken because it’s not an illusion. Raditz is a big man. And though his eyes are softer these days, he still carries himself like the soldier he is, the same way Vegeta still carries himself too: chin lifted, shoulders back and square, feet spaced evenly underneath himself. His body is perfectly balanced, even just standing relaxed as he is, ready to drop into a fighting stance at a moment’s notice and without hesitation. 

Bulma isn’t even sure Vegeta or Raditz are aware of these things about themselves, or what effect these things have on the people around them. Even now, on her doorstep and a good 100 feet from the street, people were slowing down to stare before hurrying away as quickly as humanly possible. It would be funny were it not a little sad. 

Vegeta and Raditz both have few in the way of friends, fewer still in close friends. And Bulma, who had always equated multitudes of friends with happiness, finds that very sad indeed. Vegeta has few friends because he’s abrasive and hard to handle, and he isn’t terribly interested in friends besides. He tolerates Bulma’s friends because he loves her and wants her to be happy, his relationship with Goku has mellowed into something like friendship, he seems to like or at least respect Gohan a great deal, and he’s  _ cordial _ (for lack of a better word) with Raditz and Nappa, which the two older Saiyans reciprocate warily. But in truth, he has no one that he actually talks to and confides in other than Bulma and Trunks. 

Raditz, on the other hand, is gruff and abrasive upon meeting him, but proves to be quiet and rather shy once he is more or less settled into whatever social situation he has found himself thrust into, provided he doesn’t feel threatened. Yamcha swears that he’s very loud and boisterous indeed when they are at home, which Bulma believes just based on her first time meeting him long ago, but Raditz has yet to show that side of himself again since being wished back just over a decade ago. He gives Bulma the impression that he would like to have friends, but something holds him back when the opportunity presents itself. 

Bulma greets Yamcha and Raditz both individually, her way of making the Saiyan feel included, but Raditz turns his face to the floor and mumbles something in return before pushing past Yamcha, heading for the garden to greet his prince in that stiff way he always does when they visit. 

He’s waylaid by Gohan, Goten, and Trunks, fresh from the gravity room and what seems to have been a delightfully thorough workout, if the matching grins on the children’s faces were any indication. 

“Raditz.” Gohan says with a frown, uncharacteristically clipped, though Bulma can’t really blame him for holding a grudge. 

“Hello, Gohan.” Raditz replies, his voice warmer than his nephew’s, if only just, then turns to the children. “Hello, Goten and Trunks.”

Goten, who is not held back by memories of brutal beatings and death like his brother is, barrels forward, leaping into his uncle’s arms, laughing hugely when Raditz catches him and hugs him tightly. Never one to be left out, Trunks piles into Raditz’s arms behind his friend, a move that Raditz had clearly anticipated. He catches Trunks and tucks him in his arms next to Goten, all three of them laughing, contagious enough to draw Gohan out of his brooding with a gentle smile that is more at home on his sweet face than his scowl had been. 

Bulma knows how deep the scars of Gohan’s trauma run, and while Gohan is old enough now to understand how dire Raditz’s situation had been, it had still been hard for him to forgive and forget, if he ever did at all. Raditz had, for all intents and purposes, killed his father and thrust him head first into a world he had never really wanted to be a part of in the first place. That wasn’t something that anyone, let alone a sensitive and gentle young man like Gohan, could just swallow and take in stride. Even his father, who had forgiven Vegeta so readily, and who is easily the kindest and most open-hearted person Bulma has ever known, still regards his older brother with mistrust and caution whenever they are together, which isn’t often in the slightest. It is a shocking contrast to how he behaves with Vegeta, who to his credit is not the same person he was over a decade ago, but whose sins were in many ways far more grievous. 

But, despite all the mistrust and everyone’s expectations of what they had deemed an uncivilized brute, Raditz is really quite gentle himself, especially with the children. And watching him with the children now, it isn’t really all that difficult to see the family resemblance between the estranged brothers, both physically and mentally in many aspects. 

“I’m so glad Goten likes Raditz so much.” Yamcha comments softly, grinning at Bulma when she glances up at him. “He’s such a sweet kid. And Trunks seems to really like him too.”

“Trunks likes anyone who’ll tussle with him.” Bulma says with a snort, returning his grin. “Anyway, what’s the occasion? Not that I don’t enjoy your visits, but you two usually only come for parties and stuff.” Yamcha shrugs. 

“He wanted to talk to Vegeta.” He says, watching Raditz set the children down and ruffle their hair, a soft look on the Saiyan’s admittedly handsome face. Bulma can definitely see the appeal, and she can always appreciate a hot guy when one crosses her path, but there is still a lot of fear in her guts whenever he’s around. She didn’t know if that would ever change, regardless of how tall and cut and handsome he is. 

“Did he say what for?” Bulma asks. Yamcha shrugs again. 

“Nah. He didn’t even want me to come with him.” He says, chuckling lightly. “He even ditched me at one point. He’s so fast, and when he really kicks it into high gear, there’s no way I can keep up. Luckily, I know where Vegeta lives.” Bulma laughs at that, shaking her head. 

“What do you think it’s about?”

“Who knows? Probably some weird Saiyan thing that we wouldn’t get anyway.” Yamcha grins at her again, leaning in as though to share a secret. “Hey, maybe they’ll finally kiss and make up.”

“First of all, he’ll kiss my husband over my dead body.” Bulma growls, holding up one finger. “Second, I’m not sure they’ll ever make up. I love him, but Vegeta is stubborn as all hell.”

“Must be a Saiyan thing.” Yamcha hums, bumping her shoulder with his. That is one thing they truly have in common now. Well, other than being friends with Goku. They are both quite used to the idiosyncrasies of their Saiyan men, and they often find themselves sighing and rolling their eyes and repeating the phrase in exasperated voices. 

They watch as Raditz says goodbye to his nephews and Trunks, then turns and disappears into the garden, and suddenly Bulma is nervous. 

“Maybe we should go in the garden too.” Yamcha says, eyes on the archway, his mouth a tight line. 

“Yeah. Just in case.” Bulma agrees, glad she’s not the only one who’s worried. When they walk into the garden, Raditz is speaking very quickly in a language Bulma does not understand, his voice low but not particularly urgent. Vegeta stiffens at something Raditz says, snapping back in that same language, and Raditz raises his hands to placate him. 

Bulma doesn’t know much about Saiyan body language, if she’s being completely honest. She understands the things that are similar to human body language, like Vegeta’s stiff shoulders and crossed arms, but the tail adds a new dimension that she is unsure of. Goku had had a tail, but his only emotions were happy, sad, and mad back then, so that isn’t really much help in deciphering what Raditz is saying now. 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” She asks Yamcha, wondering if he has any better insight after having lived with a tailed Saiyan for the last 11 years. But Yamcha just shrugs. 

“No clue. Doesn’t seem unfriendly, though. His tail’s still pretty relaxed and smooth, so that’s good, I think.” He says, scratching his chin. 

“I guess the Saiyan language just sounds angry.” Bulma sighs. The only time she hears it is when Raditz or Nappa are around, and even then they usually speak too quickly and quietly for her to really hear. 

“I mean, it makes sense. Warrior race and all.” Yamcha agrees. “Uh-oh.” He says suddenly, his eyes going wide. 

“What?”

“Oh shit.”

“What?!”

“I think I know what this is about.” He looks at Bulma, mouth gaping, eyes wide and scared. 

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, Yamcha!” She hisses, and when he snorts and starts snickering, she almost punches him in his stupid face. 

“I dunno, I’m just fuckin’ with ya.” He says, laughing. “You shoulda seen your face!”

“You’re a dick.” She snarls, hitting his arm as hard as she can. 

They turn their attention to the Saiyans again just in time to see a sour look pass over Vegeta’s face, as though Raditz had said something stupid or silly, and he says something with a snort that has Raditz snapping his mouth shut, staring. Then he bursts out laughing, loud and full, his head thrown back with the force of it. Vegeta seems surprised for a second, then smiles so warmly that Bulma’s heart stops. That smile is usually reserved for her and Trunks, a small and secret thing that Bulma had grown to treasure. But it’s not aimed at her or Trunks now, and Bulma suddenly understands the depth of his and Raditz’s relationship. 

Raditz is family. 

It all clicks into place then, the curl of Raditz’s tail, the soft sway of it, the openness of his posture, the way he leans toward Vegeta earnestly. This had been a mission of peace, and from the look of it, Raditz had succeeded. He’s almost shy when he reaches for Vegeta, putting an arm across his shoulders and squeezing him gently. Bulma can’t help but smile when Vegeta mirrors the gesture, his arm going around Raditz’s waist, a look of annoyed exasperation on his face but a twinkle of happiness in his dark eyes. 

Yamcha and Bulma look at each other, smiling knowingly, and leave for the living room to sit down and catch up, satisfied that their men are happy and well for the moment. 

Bulma asks Vegeta how their conversation had gone much later, when they are curled against each other in bed. Vegeta is quiet for a long time, the hand on her shoulder rubbing idly as he decides what he wants to say. Finally he sighs and kisses the top of her head. 

“He said he missed how things were between us. He wanted to make amends.” Vegeta says softly. “We were never truly friends. He was assigned to me as a partner and protector, so our relationship was one of duty and obligation. But we were kids when we first met, and we grew up together. I suppose that makes us brothers in a way.”

“I’m glad you two are friends again, then.” Bulma says through a yawn, snuggling closer to Vegeta’s chest. He tightens his arms around her and rests his cheek against her head, sighing deeply. 

“Me too.” He whispers, and she can feel him smiling. 

—

Yamcha watches Raditz from the archway to the kitchen. He’s humming softly to himself as he filets a fish for their dinner, his tail held high in the air, tip curled and twitching to the beat of whatever song is in his head. He’s totally relaxed and seemingly completely unaware of Yamcha’s presence, and Yamcha can’t help but smile. It’s nice seeing him like this, happy and comfortable, in his element against all odds. 

Yamcha pushes off the wall and comes up behind him, careful not to trap his tail as he wraps his arms around Raditz’s waist. Raditz hums, more like a purr, and curls his tail around Yamcha’s waist in turn. 

“You seem happy.” Yamcha says, pushing his face into Raditz’s hair and breathing deeply. 

“Mm-hmm.” Raditz agrees, squeezing back. 

“About your conversation with Vegeta earlier?” Yamcha asks, expecting Raditz to stiffen and shut down like he usually does whenever the Saiyan prince is brought up. But he stays loose and relaxed, just humming a soft affirmative instead. “How’d it go, by the way? You never said.”

“It was good.” Raditz replies without elaborating further. It doesn’t seem like an evasion though, so Yamcha decides to drop it for now. 

“I’m glad.” He says instead, squeezing Raditz’s waist. 

“Me too.” Raditz murmurs, turning suddenly in Yamcha’s arms and leaning down to kiss him deeply, smiling against Yamcha’s mouth. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little character study drabble I wrote a million years ago. I have some other Radcha drabbles that I’ll get around to posting eventually lol
> 
> Title and quote are from Tightrope by 10 Years.


End file.
